“Save some, O Christians! By all means, save some.” —Charles Spurgeon
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There's a difference between growing up in church, and growing up in Jesus.
Long-time attendance is no substitute for long-term, daily repentance and faith.
Long-time attendance is no substitute for long-term, daily repentance and faith.
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“By the good hand of our God on us, they brought us a man of discretion.” Ezra 8:18
Do you need a pastor? A husband? A wife? A CEO? A trustworthy, competent employee?
Look first to “the good hand of God.”
Do you need a pastor? A husband? A wife? A CEO? A trustworthy, competent employee?
Look first to “the good hand of God.”
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WEEK 2 — Identity & Calling
Dear Daughter,
A river carries a name the sea never asked for. It is still the same water.
Call yourself by what God calls you, even when the title on your ID card, your paycheck, or your relationship changes.
Your worth was fixed before your wedding day, not by it.
'I have called you by name; you are mine' (Isa 43:1).
What name has marriage tried to replace, that God never changed?
#DearDaughter #IdentityInChrist #StrongMarriage
Dear Daughter,
A river carries a name the sea never asked for. It is still the same water.
Call yourself by what God calls you, even when the title on your ID card, your paycheck, or your relationship changes.
Your worth was fixed before your wedding day, not by it.
'I have called you by name; you are mine' (Isa 43:1).
What name has marriage tried to replace, that God never changed?
#DearDaughter #IdentityInChrist #StrongMarriage
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I'm not ashamed to say that I am absolutely nothing without my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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Guard your marriage like a treasure! 🛡️❤️ Watch your words, your eyes, your time — protect what God has joined! Prov 4:23 💞
What are you guarding this week? #StrongMarriage #August
What are you guarding this week? #StrongMarriage #August
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“There are only two kinds of men: the righteous who believe themselves sinners; the rest, sinners who believe themselves righteous.” —Blaise Pascal
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One of the clearest marks of spiritual maturity is this: You become easier to correct because you care more about truth than your pride.
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What makes someone a Christian?
Not going to church.
Not being baptized.
Not praying a prayer.
Not trying to be a good person.
A Christian is someone who has repented of their sin, trusted in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, and been made new by the grace of God.
Not going to church.
Not being baptized.
Not praying a prayer.
Not trying to be a good person.
A Christian is someone who has repented of their sin, trusted in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, and been made new by the grace of God.
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Following Christ necessitates forfeiting the world’s approval.
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The holiness of God is one of the most important truths in Scripture.
1. He is completely separate from sin and evil. (Isa 6:3)
2. He is morally perfect in all He does. (Psa 145:17)
3. His presence exposes human sinfulness. (Isa 6:5)
4. He must judge evil righteously. (Hab 1:13)
5. He calls His people to be holy as well. (1 Pet 1:15-16)
6. He alone is worthy of worship. (Rev 15:4)
7. He never changes in His character, standards, or purposes. (Mal 3:6)
The more we understand God's holiness, the more we understand our need for Christ.
1. He is completely separate from sin and evil. (Isa 6:3)
2. He is morally perfect in all He does. (Psa 145:17)
3. His presence exposes human sinfulness. (Isa 6:5)
4. He must judge evil righteously. (Hab 1:13)
5. He calls His people to be holy as well. (1 Pet 1:15-16)
6. He alone is worthy of worship. (Rev 15:4)
7. He never changes in His character, standards, or purposes. (Mal 3:6)
The more we understand God's holiness, the more we understand our need for Christ.
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Imagine how our churches would grow if every member saw sinners though the compassionate eyes of Jesus.”
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If your Bible reading never changes your attitude...
Never changes your speech...
Never changes your priorities...
The problem isn't your Bible.
It's your heart.
Never changes your speech...
Never changes your priorities...
The problem isn't your Bible.
It's your heart.
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August 12: At a Great Price
#Devotional
Isaiah 25:1–26:21; Luke 9:1–27; Job 6:1–13
It’s easy to be devoted to a leader or a vision when it doesn’t require much of us. In following Jesus, the disciples didn’t have that option. They were called to follow Jesus in difficult circumstances—ones that required them to put their lives on the line. After Jesus told His disciples about His impending death and resurrection, He defined the true meaning of discipleship. His words required their immediate response and intense loyalty:
“And he said to them all, ‘If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross every day and follow me’ ” (Luke 9:23).
Daily the disciples needed to commit to Him, the kingdom He was ushering in, and the possibility of facing death. We like to quote this verse, but we might not think it applies in the same way today. Because we don’t face the same circumstances the disciples faced, we might not take the call to loyalty quite as seriously.
But loyalty shouldn’t be dictated by circumstance. Jesus had “to suffer many things and to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and to be killed” (Luke 9:22) to reconcile us to God. His sacrifice was incredibly costly; the grace extended to us came at a great price.
His sacrifice—not our circumstances—requires everything from us. It requires that we see our motives, our hopes, our actions—our daily lives—in the perspective of that costly grace. Jesus went on to say, “For what is a person benefited if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25). The gospel changes everything, and it speaks into every area of our lives. It requires us to deny our own interests. It requires us to take up our cross daily and follow Him.
How are you taking up your cross daily? What area of your life do you need to commit to Him?
#Devotional
Isaiah 25:1–26:21; Luke 9:1–27; Job 6:1–13
It’s easy to be devoted to a leader or a vision when it doesn’t require much of us. In following Jesus, the disciples didn’t have that option. They were called to follow Jesus in difficult circumstances—ones that required them to put their lives on the line. After Jesus told His disciples about His impending death and resurrection, He defined the true meaning of discipleship. His words required their immediate response and intense loyalty:
“And he said to them all, ‘If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross every day and follow me’ ” (Luke 9:23).
Daily the disciples needed to commit to Him, the kingdom He was ushering in, and the possibility of facing death. We like to quote this verse, but we might not think it applies in the same way today. Because we don’t face the same circumstances the disciples faced, we might not take the call to loyalty quite as seriously.
But loyalty shouldn’t be dictated by circumstance. Jesus had “to suffer many things and to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and to be killed” (Luke 9:22) to reconcile us to God. His sacrifice was incredibly costly; the grace extended to us came at a great price.
His sacrifice—not our circumstances—requires everything from us. It requires that we see our motives, our hopes, our actions—our daily lives—in the perspective of that costly grace. Jesus went on to say, “For what is a person benefited if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25). The gospel changes everything, and it speaks into every area of our lives. It requires us to deny our own interests. It requires us to take up our cross daily and follow Him.
How are you taking up your cross daily? What area of your life do you need to commit to Him?
August 12 - The Pharisees’ Negative Response
#LifeOfChrist
“Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, ‘Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?’” (Matthew 9:10–11).
Prideful resentment can lead to the most negative response to the person and ministry of Jesus. Such was the case with the Pharisees here who were angry and humiliated that He associated so personally with sinners and yet had not extended to them, the religious elite, the same sort of social favor. Surely they, the pillars of proper behavior and religious purity, at least deserved a banquet from this newer Teacher, didn’t they?
The Pharisees’ question about Jesus’ eating with sinners (or “undesirable people”) was more a rhetorical rebuke than a sincere question. They were merely venting their hostility and again attempting to put Jesus on the spot. They did not even have the courage to ask their question directly of the Lord, but hovered outside the banquet house to find out what sort of response the disciples would get from their Master.
The Pharisees were becoming more and more bitter and vindictive, realizing they were at odds with practically everything Jesus was teaching. They were so convinced of their own orthodoxy and superiority that anything perceived as contrary to their worldview was by definition heretical and unrighteous. These men were furious that Christ snubbed them yet maintained friendly relations with sinners and outcasts.
The Pharisees’ negative response to Jesus, and their misguided, unscriptural “religion” that worked at cross-purposes to His divine ministry of redemption, is completely the opposite of Christianity, the true and biblical religion.
Ask Yourself
Do you sense any hint of spiritual superiority in your heart—even the slightest impression that your tenure as a Christian, your knowledge of the Word, or your familiarity with church decorum makes you a little more special to God than others are?
#LifeOfChrist
“Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, ‘Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?’” (Matthew 9:10–11).
Prideful resentment can lead to the most negative response to the person and ministry of Jesus. Such was the case with the Pharisees here who were angry and humiliated that He associated so personally with sinners and yet had not extended to them, the religious elite, the same sort of social favor. Surely they, the pillars of proper behavior and religious purity, at least deserved a banquet from this newer Teacher, didn’t they?
The Pharisees’ question about Jesus’ eating with sinners (or “undesirable people”) was more a rhetorical rebuke than a sincere question. They were merely venting their hostility and again attempting to put Jesus on the spot. They did not even have the courage to ask their question directly of the Lord, but hovered outside the banquet house to find out what sort of response the disciples would get from their Master.
The Pharisees were becoming more and more bitter and vindictive, realizing they were at odds with practically everything Jesus was teaching. They were so convinced of their own orthodoxy and superiority that anything perceived as contrary to their worldview was by definition heretical and unrighteous. These men were furious that Christ snubbed them yet maintained friendly relations with sinners and outcasts.
The Pharisees’ negative response to Jesus, and their misguided, unscriptural “religion” that worked at cross-purposes to His divine ministry of redemption, is completely the opposite of Christianity, the true and biblical religion.
Ask Yourself
Do you sense any hint of spiritual superiority in your heart—even the slightest impression that your tenure as a Christian, your knowledge of the Word, or your familiarity with church decorum makes you a little more special to God than others are?
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.
James 4:8
Memo to self
James 4:8
Memo to self
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There are several words that are challenging to say to unbelievers, such as “sin” and “Hell.” But there’s another word, too, because it insinuates a harsh truth: “saved.”
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One of the greatest evidences that Christianity is true is this:
The Bible doesn't flatter its heroes.
Noah gets drunk.
Abraham lies.
Moses loses his temper and murders someone.
David commits adultery and murder.
Peter denies Christ.
Thomas doubts.
Paul calls himself the chief of sinners.
Ancient myths make their heroes larger than life. Scripture tells the truth about mankind because its purpose isn't to exalt men. It's to exalt Christ.
The Bible doesn't flatter its heroes.
Noah gets drunk.
Abraham lies.
Moses loses his temper and murders someone.
David commits adultery and murder.
Peter denies Christ.
Thomas doubts.
Paul calls himself the chief of sinners.
Ancient myths make their heroes larger than life. Scripture tells the truth about mankind because its purpose isn't to exalt men. It's to exalt Christ.
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